How to Use COUNTIF Excel

Welcome to this tutorial on how to use COUNTIF function in Microsoft Excel. COUNTIF is a powerful yet simple function used to count the number of times a specific value appears in a given range of cells in MS Excel. If you are looking for a quick and direct way to count the number of cells containing a particular value or condition that meets your needs, then COUNTIF is the right tool for the job. This tutorial will guide you step by step on how to use the COUNTIF function in Excel to efficiently perform your data analysis tasks.

What is COUNTIF function in Excel?

COUNTIF is one of the most used functions in Excel. It is a simple yet powerful function that provides a quick and easy way to count the number of cells that meet certain criteria. COUNTIF function accepts two arguments: the range of cells to evaluate, and the criteria to test against.

How to use COUNTIF function in Excel

Step 1: Select the Range of Cells to Count

Select the range of cells in which you want to count a specific value or meeting certain criteria.

Step 2: Determine the Criteria to Count

Determine the value or criteria that you want to count in the range selected in step 1. For instance, if you want to count the number of cells that have the word “apple”, your criteria is “apple”.

Step 3: Use the COUNTIF Function

Now you can use the COUNTIF function to count the number of cells that meet your criteria. Enter the following formula into a blank cell:

=COUNTIF(range, criteria)

• range: is the range of cells you selected in Step 1.
• criteria: is the value or criteria you want to count as specified in Step 2.

Step 4: View the Results

The COUNTIF function will calculate the number of cells in the selected range that meet the criteria you specified in Step 2.

Examples of using COUNTIF function in Excel

Example 1: Count cells that contain a specific value

Suppose you have a list of fruits in column A, and you want to count the number of times the word “apple” appears in the list. The formula in a blank cell would be:

=COUNTIF(A:A, "apple")

Example 2: Count cells that meet multiple criteria

You can also count cells that meet multiple criteria by using the COUNTIF function with logical operators. For instance, you have a list of employees, and you want to count the number of employees that have a salary greater than $50,000 and less than $100,000. The formula in a blank cell would be:

=COUNTIF(C:C,">50000")-COUNTIF(C:C,">=100000")

Example 3: Count cells with text strings that contain a specific word or phrase

If you have a list of products in column A with different descriptions, and you want to count the number of times the word “organic” appears in the descriptions. The formula in a blank cell would be:

=COUNTIF(A:A, "*organic*")

The asterisk (*) is a wildcard character that matches any series of characters.

Now that you know how to use the COUNTIF function in Excel, you can start using it to perform a wide range of tasks, from data analysis to inventory management. With this simple yet powerful function, you can save time and make your spreadsheet more efficient.

Using COUNTIFS to Count Cells that Meet Multiple Criteria

While COUNTIF is excellent for counting cells containing specific criteria in a single cell range, Excel’s COUNTIFS function can count cells meeting multiple criteria from multiple ranges.

If for instance, there is a data table containing sales records and we need to count the number of sales made by a particular sales rep with a specific product code, we can use the COUNTIFS formula. Here’s an example:

=COUNTIFS(A2:A8,"John",B2:B8,"A1")

This formula reads “count the number of cells in column A that contain ‘John’ AND count the number of cells in column B that contain ‘A1’. If both of these criteria are met simultaneously, then the cell is counted.”

Using Wildcards with COUNTIF

When using COUNTIF, you can not only look for exact matches but also for partial matches and wildcards using the asterisk symbol (*).

For instance, you have a list of products, some of which contain the word “apple” somewhere in their description. You can use the formula below to count the cells that contain the word “apple:”

=COUNTIF(A:A,"*apple*")

The asterisk (*) is a wildcard character that can represent any number of characters before, after, or in-between keywords in the criteria.

Using Logical Operators with COUNTIF

Logical operators can be used with COUNTIF to specify additional criteria that must be met for a cell to be counted. Here are some logical operators we can use:

• = (equals to)
• < (less than)
• > (greater than)
• <= (less than or equal to)
• >= (greater than or equal to)
• <> (not equal to)

For instance, you are to count the number of sales that are greater than or equal to the minimum daily sales target. Here’s the COUNTIF formula:

=COUNTIF(B2:B8, ">=5000")

The syntax of the formula reads, “Count the number of cells in column B that contain values greater than or equal to 5000.”

Conclusion

You can now use COUNTIF function in Excel to count the number of cells in a range that meet specific criteria. This function is essential for data analysis, and once you are comfortable using it, you can apply the knowledge to perform advanced calculations. COUNTIF and its related functions are an essential part of Excel, and mastering them will undoubtedly streamline your workflow and produce more accurate results.

FAQs on using COUNTIF in Excel

Here are some common questions that people ask about COUNTIF function in Excel, and our answers that we hope will help:

Can COUNTIF count cells based on two or more criteria?

Yes. While COUNTIF is excellent for counting cells containing specific criteria in a single cell range, Excel’s COUNTIFS function can count cells meeting multiple criteria from multiple ranges as we explained in an earlier section.

Can I use COUNTIF to count cells that contain a specific word or phrase?

Yes, you can. You can use wildcard characters to specify partial matches, or you can surround the word or phrase criteria with double quotes to search for exact matches. Both methods are detailed in previous sections.

What are logical operators, and how can I use them with COUNTIF?

Logical operators are symbols used to define relational conditions between two expressions, such as the less than symbol (<), greater than symbol (>), and others. You can use logical operators with COUNTIF to specify additional criteria that must be met for a cell to be counted as we detailed in an earlier section.

Can I use COUNTIF to count the number of times a specific text appears in a range?

Yes, but remember that COUNTIF only counts the number of cells that meet the specified criteria. Therefore, to count text instances, the criteria would be in quotes and not equal to a cell reference. For instance, if you are counting the number of times the word “apple” appears in a range, the criteria would be “apple” rather than a cell reference.

What is the difference between COUNTIF and COUNTA?

The COUNTIF function returns the count of cells in a given range that meet specific criteria. On the other hand, the COUNTA function returns a count of cells in a given range that are not empty. In brief, COUNTIF counts cells based on a criterion while COUNTA counts non-empty cells in a range.